Some Are Accusing Amy Schumer's New Film 'I Feel Pretty' Of Missing The Mark

Last week, comedian and actress Amy Schumer released the trailer for her next film.

I Feel Pretty is set to hit theatres this summer, and follows the character Renée, who is played by Schumer, as she lives her life as a 'normal' woman.

Renée is below the 'average' US size, but not skinny. She has to wear unattractive shaping underwear and does not consider herself 'undeniably pretty'. To contrast her averageness she is friends with a character played by the otherworldy Emily Ratajkowski, who also suffers from low self-esteem.

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In an apparent bid to become objectively, undeniably hot, Renée hits the gym but subsequently hits her head in a spin class accident. In a tongue-in cheek Freaky Friday/13 Going On 30-esque twist, Renée wakes up believing she is Victoria's Secret-level of hotness, despite not changing physically.

Amy Schumer

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She then continues with a sublime level of confidence, staying her 'average' size 12-ish figure and 'regular' looks.

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The film seemingly looks to poke fun at ridiculous beauty standards, showing how confidence is the true key to happiness and that all women, no matter how conventionally attractive, have their hang-ups.

Despite featuring a stellar cast of best mates Busy Philipps and Michelle Williams, SNL alumni Aidy Bryant and Sasheer Zamata and supermodels Naomi Campbell and Lauren Hutton, there has already been backlash from the film.

Comedian Sofie Hagen created a thread on Twitter about the movie, which has garnered thousands of likes.

Amy Schumer is blonde, white, able-bodied, femme and yes, thin. She IS society's beauty ideal. So they give her a ponytail and remove her make-up and suddenly she's ugly? Why not just give her glasses or a fatsuit? What is wrong with this world?

I have watched the trailer so many times now. Would it be funny if it was someone GENUINELY (conventionally) unattractive? Someone did not live up to a single beauty ideal? Or would it then be provocative to see someone undeserving of confidence actually feel confident?

In it she explained how frustrating she found Schumer's casting in the role. Schumer is white, able-bodied and below the US average for size. Though she may be larger for Hollywood, she is not for America, and Hagen suggests Schumer is being used by Hollywood as a lacklustre token of body diversity.

I understand that there are people who look exactly like Amy Schumer who do feel ugly or unattractive. But that doesn't change the fact that those people will still be treated better by society than someone actually fat, actually not white, actually not femme-passing.

I MEAN, SHE HITS HER HEAD AND THEN FEELS BEAUTIFUL. This movie legit had to become SCI-FI for it to be realistic. Only in a MAGICAL universe could she possibly feel pretty. HER - blonde, white, thin, femme, cis, blah, she is ALL THE THINGS AND STILL SHE IS NOT CONSIDERED PRETTY.

I'M BACK BECAUSE I JUST REMEMBERED A SCENE IN THE TRAILER WHERE SHE IS TOLD THAT A STORE DOESN'T CARRY HER SIZE. Hold me back because I'm about to flip tables on this piece of shit movie now. SHE LITERALLY CALLED OUT A MAGAZINE FOR CALLING HER PLUS-SIZE.

People in the comments appear divided on the subject, on one side saying that the film demonstrates that all people have insecurities at whatever size and that Schumer is being held to an impossible standard wherein she is damned if she does and damned if she doesn't, whilst others, agreeing with Hagen, say that Schumer is hypocritical for taking the role.

P.S. I know she is being held to a higher standard because she's a woman and that's unfortunate. I know there's hundreds of movies that would never cast her because she's still not thin or attractive enough. It's still bullshit though and I'm still mad.

This film is a classic "Let me remove her glasses and VIOLA, underneath she's actually NOT a monster". When will Hollywood realise that all women, at some point, will just not be wearing make-up or pulling a warm smile? We are all, always, ugly and beautiful.

Whilst it would be great to see more larger women on-screen not having to go through brain trauma to be more confident, Schumer's body-type is still depressingly rare on screen, let alone undressed and embracing itself.

So, though this film is far from revolutionary, it is deviating from the movie norm, and we probably shouldn't tear down an actress for her participation in it.

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